Botanicals Mini Cup

Happy Sunday!

SUCH a great weekend … and there is still half to go!

Yesterday was a GREAT day of relaxation and laughs.  It started bright and early with some stamping - wa-hoo!  My fabulous friend (and up-up-line) Tamye Dunbar held her monthly Diva Day stamping morning so I got to have coffee, snacks, stamping and laughs with a GREAT group of friends.  The weather was PERFECT for a patio gathering afterwards in Tamye's amazing backyard.  We won't meet again until September so it was really great to spend a little extra time just "hanging out".

Home to hang with my peeps … well … ok, to watch my peeps stare at their iPads for a while *lol* … got a wee nap in … then we went for dinner with Craig's sister and BIL to our newest favourite Vietnamese restaurant.  We finished the evening off with a nightcap on our patio.  Such a fun, relaxing day!

A whole lot of nuthin' going on today - just the way I like it!  Life is good!

With such beautiful weather I doubt I'll make it to the Craft Cave today but I DID make it down Friday.  I was positively GIDDY over what I came up with.

Backstory …. Months and MONTHS ago I ordered those teeny tiny 3 oz paper coffee cups and lids you may have seen all over Pinterest boards.  I had been wanting some for a few years alas trying to find these things in Canada is like trying to find your contact lens in a snowbank.  Seriously!  I managed to track some down in the US … and … as is always the case … I almost choked when I did the currency conversion and calculated the shipping costs.  MAN!  Those extra costs really hurt … but … I wanted those darned cups so I did a Facebook post to other stampers and managed to get a large bulk order together so we could all get those shipping costs down.  We got our cups and we were all thrilled.  Naturally I put mine in my craft cupboard and there they have stayed … unopened … for months.  Sound familiar? *lol*  I DID let the kids have a few so they could decorate mini coffee cups for their dolls … but I just hadn't made the time to come up with anything myself …. until Friday. Wanna see what I made?  Hee hee - so stinkin' key-UTE!

 Hee hee - it just makes me giggle!!!

The stars of the show for this cutie patootie are the Botanical Blooms "toys".

OK - anther backstory (ya, feeling a little chatty this morning!).

I resisted getting the Botanical Blooms framelits … and stamp set … and DSP ever since they were released in the Occasions Catalogue.  I saw them (and used them) at the On Stage event I attend last fall … and I REALLY didn't like them.  If you have followed my blog for a while you know I'm not a big fan of flowers (either paper or real).  I have all the "old" leaf framelits and Big Shot dies and thought "Ugh.  ANOTHER flower/leave bundle?!"  When Stampin' Up! asked for feedback from the On Stage event they asked which products we were likely to buy.  I marked off "definitely would not buy" for this bundle.  Ya.  Never say never.  Flash forward 6 months and guess what I now own … and love?  Yup.  Resistance really is futile *lol*.  I saw one too many great projects with the framelits.  My friend (and fabulous Artisan member) Krista Frattin finally tipped the scale from "should I?" to "I NEED it" … and I bought it.

Friday I decided I would OPEN those darned cups … and TRY those darned framelits and I am so glad I did.  Love.  Love.  LOVE this bundle!

Right!  Enough rambling already - let's get to the meat and potatoes of this bad boy!

First off I made a little belly band using the (now retired) Botanical Gardens DSP.  (When I bought the bundle it came with the set, the framelits and the DSP.  The set and framelits are available in the new catalogue but not the DSP … and the set/framelits now have to be purchased separately i.e. they aren't bundled together this round)

Botanical Builder $44
Botanical Blooms Photo $21
Botanical Gardens DSP - retired

So!  To make the bell band …

I used a 1" x 7" strip of DSP.  Alas, you can't just cut a straight piece.  The cup is tapered and a straight belly band won't lie straight …

… so you need to cut a curved strip.  I dissected one of the cups so I could get the curvature just right.  I cut a template for the band FROM the dissected cup...

I traced it onto the DSP and cut it out ...

I then used my framelits to cut out the flower (Whisper White and Crushed Curry) and the leaves (Mossy Meadow (retired *sniff)  and Pear Pizzazz).  I also punched out  a garden label thingie (NOT being a gardener I don't even know what these things are called … stakes?  Dunno *lol*).

The garden stake framelits just retired as well (sorry to be using so many retired products … trying to use some of my stash items and papers!!).  You may be able to find them in garage sales or on line.  They were from the "Handpicked" framelits - and there were a few coordinating stamp sets.  I didn't use the coordinating set - rather I used the "thank you" from the Endless Thanks set, stamped in Mossy Meadow ink

Once my pieces were punched out I just had to assemble.  I used my Multipurpose glue for that - it dries quickly and is strong.

 I popped the stake (?) into the stir stick hole in the lid a wa-low!  One "totes-adorbs" little cup!

I plan to hit Costco tomorrow for some bulk Wildflower seeds.  I believe (2) of the Miracle Grow Wildflower packs are $16 - best deal in town since a single, smaller, container at Home Depot is $12!  I'll put some in little ziplock bags from the Dollar Store and have a sweet little gift for my customers this month.  So cute I can't STAND it!!!  *lol*

Right!  Before I get the flood of emails asking where to get the coffee cups and lids ...

Buy the coffee cups here

Buy the lids here

No - I don't have any extras to sell … but if my Edmonton peeps want to do another bulk order I can order them and we can all share the cost of shipping.  If memory serves it comes to around $15 (Canadian) for 50 cups and lids (that includes the shipping and currency conversion).  ** If you are in Edmonton and are interested drop me an email here and I'll be in touch**

So that's my share for today.  Koda doesn't LOOK ready for his walk …

… but as soon as I close my laptop he'll spring to life and will be ready to go.  Love that scruffy fur face!

Whatever you get up to today I hope you have a fun, stampy day!


Tam